"Over the last eighteen months negotiators have been working to secure an agreement that will increase international confidence in the nature of Iran's nuclear programme," Mr McCully said today.
"This agreement is a positive development for regional stability in the Middle East and will allow for further progress to be made in the relationship between New Zealand and Iran.
"As the current president of the United Nations Security Council, New Zealand will do what it can to expedite any necessary Security Council action, and we call for the agreement to be implemented as soon as possible," he added.
The nearly 100-page accord, announced today, aimed to keep Iran from producing enough material for an atomic weapon for at least 10 years and imposed new provisions for inspections of Iranian facilities, including military sites.
The agreement was expected to lift sanctions in exchange for limits on Iran's nuclear production capability and fuel stockpile.
Phil Goff, who served in the fourth Labour Government when nuclear disarmament was a defining issue, said he also welcomed the basic details of the negotiated solution.
Mr Goff, a former Minister for Disarmament and Arms Control, said this morning the agreement seemed to be good news for non-proliferation and international relations.
"My general feeling was, anything you can negotiate that can prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear weapons state is good, given that the alternative option of trying to bomb the facilities was a recipe for disaster in my view."
Mr Goff said he expected the United States would not have signed the agreement without "adequate verification procedures".
He said Iran would benefit from the lifting of sanctions "and the ability to improve its relationship with the Western world".
